Masato Futami
Masato Futami '''(双海真斗) is the main protagonist and titular rider of Kamen Rider Dupe. The son of a scientist, he accidentally discovered the Flipside Universe and has been tasked with destroying the Jigenjin which threaten to destroy both worlds. Personality Masato is outgoing, courageous, and determined. He often looks before he leaps, but is very quick to try and persuade people into how his mistakes could be seen as a good thing (with varying results). He is highly individualistic and cocky-feeling like he can handle anything by himself. He loves the limelight, soaking up the attention his father garnered so rabidly that Ai told him he "thrived" on it. In fact, since his father focused more on his work than him, Masato has unknowingly gained a craving for attention. Masato is one of the rare people whose Flipside Universe's counterpart is (naturally) perfectly synchronized to his main self. History Pre-Series Masato is the son of biologist Jun Futami, and as such spent a lot of time in a laboratory. It was here that he met his lifelong friend Ai Shinomiya and her father Takehiko. As much as he tried to help, he was too young to understand how cloning really worked. Jun saw how much his son wanted to help, and felt sincerely bad about leaving his son outside the lab almost all the time. Masato had no qualms about this, however, content to play with Ai both inside and around the lab building. Beginning a Secret Fight When Doctor Futami and Doctor Shinomiya announced that they were attempting to create the first cloned human, there was a huge media buzz surrounding them. Masato soaked up the attention like a sponge, and began looking for something he could use to garner even more attention. In doing so, he unknowingly allows the two doctors many former attempts at simultaneous splicing and cloning to escape into the world and wreck havoc. Masato apologizes to his father, and while the doctor accepts, he tells him that this is "(his) mess, and (he)'ll have to clean it up". With that, he gives him a special belt and capsules and sends him out to destroy the failed experiments. After transforming for the first time, Masato claims that he feels a "splitting headache", at which point Ai reveals that there are now two of him. Stunned, confused, and slightly angry at his father, the two Dupes start fighting each other more than the Experiments. They only managed to win this first fight through Ai's guidance, and afterwards they went right back to fighting each other. After a short skirmish, Masato insists that his clone leave-revealing the boundaries of the Clone Radius. Forms Fitting his cloning theme, Dupe's forms are known as '''Cells (細胞 Saibo). All of Dupe's forms automatically duplicate him, allowing him to take on the similarly-paired Experiments. The clone is semi-sentient; able to move on its own, but still reliant on Masato and his mind. It can only be a certain distance away from him-if it goes any further than the limit, which Ai codenames the "Clone Radius", he will automatically de-transform. The two Dupes often speak at the same time or at least finish each other's sentences, due to Masato's one mind being shared by both of them. Sheep Dupe's white Sheep Cells ( ) act as his/their base form. As such, it is one of the most balanced of the Cells, despite leaning more heavily towards defense. In this form, he/they can use the sheep fur on his/their chest, arms, and legs as a shield. His/their feet also become much more powerful, since a hoof-like structure is on his/their feet. He/they can also headbutt the Experiments with such force that the earth crumbles under his/their feet. Sheep Cell's Clone Radius is around 10 meters. Dog Dupe's orange Dog Cells ( ) is one of his/their more physically inclined forms. He/they are armed with claws on his/their hands and feet, increasing his/their kicking power. Their running speed increases slightly, due to the hoofs on his/their feet being replaced by paw-like padding. He/they also gain enhanced hearing and scent, but his/their vision also turns black and white, similar to a dog. Dog Cell's Clone Radius is around 5 meters. Cat Dupe's brown Cat Cells ( ) is the most nimble of Dupe's three initial forms. Like Dog Cells, he/they have claws on their hands and feet, but in this form he/they can retract the claws. His/their sense of hearing and touch also increased exponentially. He/they can jump much higher in this form compared to Dog and Sheep, and can also stalk around silently for sneak attacks while one of them acts as a diversion. Cat Cell's Clone Radius is around 20 meters. Notes * The "Ma" in Masato's name means "true", and his last name is one syllable off from "futago" (twins). * Although there are many items and forms throughout the Kamen Rider series that allow cloning (i.e. Wizard's Dragon Timer or Ghost's Robin Damashii), Dupe is unique because his clone is present in all of his forms. * Masato is represented by Joseph Joestar (from Jojo's Bizzare Adventure), who he also shares some similarities with in terms of personality. * All of Dupe's forms are based off real-life cloned animals: ** Sheep Cells is based off Dolly, the first animal cloned from stromae cells. ** Dog Cells is based off Snuppy, as well as many (incredibly expensive) cloned pets. ** Cat Cells is based off CC, as well as Little Nicky, the first cloned pet.